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TIL Abraham Lincoln was the tallest US President at 6'4, while James Madison was the shortest at 5'4.

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James K Polk's wife Sarah was so concerned he would go unnoticed entering a room because of his slight build she asked the Marine Band to play “Hail to the Chief” when he entered the room, still the tradition today.

Get you a woman that loves you like that

u/c_sulla avatar

That used to be the standard back then. Men and women were a union and a team.

Nowadays it seems more like couples are competing rather than working together.

u/reluctantclinton avatar

Sir, this is the TIL sub

u/Jazzlike_Document553 avatar

How's the divorce going, bud?

u/c_sulla avatar

Not good my man, not good

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Back then, women were getting beat.

Like a team

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u/kakalaka avatar

I know it's "Hail to the King" but I sang that in Avenged Sevenfold style

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According to Wikipedia - "In the thirty-one presidential elections between 1900 and 2020, twenty-one of the winning candidates have been taller than their opponents".

explains why ron is wearing those heels

Yeah, but no amount of heels will make him taller than Trump, who stands at 20 god damn feet!

u/ImitationButter avatar

Wide

I was going to joke round.

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Donald Trump, Donald Trump

Six foot three, weighs a fuckin ton

u/Ok_Dot_7498 avatar

Oponents bewara oponents bewara Hes coming coming Hes coming

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u/Socky_McPuppet avatar
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u/SirDigger13 avatar

Donald cheets with heels too.

No, he wears heels to make his ass pop. He wasn't about to be one uped by Obama and his Shakira law.

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u/ganja_fiend avatar

I definitely don’t think anyone would’ve thought twice about Ron being like 5’8-5’9 (disregarding all of his other spineless qualities) but now that the heels exist it just blows the whole thing up.

Those ain't heels, those be clown shoes!

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Cowboy boots and lifts. But yes. He is below average for an American man. Trump is 6-3.

u/Infinite-Fig4708 avatar

Trump is 7-7.

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Same in the management of big companies

u/PTSDaway avatar

Everyone loves to put tall people into charge, even if they want to or not.

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faulty cows grab brave dinosaurs nine dull library jobless hat

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

u/SyntheticBees avatar

I mean it's basically 2 to 1

u/FartingBob avatar

67% winning percentage is pretty lopsided.

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Trumps taller than Biden. uh oh.

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So Charles Barkley v. Mugsy Bogues.

Space Jam

u/theothermen avatar

SPOTUS Jam

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Barkley is the shortest player to ever win a rebounding title

The Round Mound of Rebound

u/waldosbuddy avatar

The Harry Gallatin erasure

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u/rakakvaka avatar

Charles Barkley is 6’6, D Wade is more like it

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Why does Lincoln, the tallest president, not simply eat the others?

u/ModsPPsRMicroSized avatar

He kills the ones who eat others. There was a whole Lincoln vampire documentary on it!

Yeah! It’s so obvious! Was he stupid?!

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u/damididit avatar

If I recall correctly, Lincoln's height for his time is comparative to someone who's 6'10" today. Genuinely a giant.

u/hadagreatautumn avatar

Wow they adjusted his height for inflation

Unfortunately hats were a deflationary investment 😞

u/Now_Wait-4-Last_Year avatar

I recently heard on a livestream that JFK popularised the not wearing of hats.

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Kind of a reflection of shifting cultural tastes as well. Hats were going out by the 60s.

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Same procedure, yes

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Imma need a source for this because believing Abraham Lincoln’s height is relative to Giannis Antetokounmpo height in today’s era is incomprehensible.

Lincoln had shit basketball stats though

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He had nowhere near the handles that Giannis has but he played in a much tougher era. The game 6 finals game everyone refers to as the battle of Gettysburg had more techs called than every other basketball game in the entire history of basketball combined.

That was real basketball

His Gettysburg press conference was pretty good I will admit

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He is in The Wrestling Hall of Fame though

I heard he coined his shot the "Fade-a-Abe."

u/DimesOHoolihan avatar

That's funny, I always heard it as the "Abe-away." Must be a regional thing.

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u/FartingBob avatar

Giannis has shit vampire hunter skills though.

u/Plastic_Assistance70 avatar

Lincoln would probably fuck Giannis up in a fight though, he was a proper brawler.

u/BlueKnightoftheCross avatar

He was known for being a great wrestler. True story.

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The average American was much smaller in 1860. Go to any historic building. Door frames are narrower, ceilings are lower, beds are smaller, toilets are tiny.

A 6’4” person would be much further out on the bell curve than a 6’4” person today. Though to be fair even today, a 6’4” person is probably taller than about 99% of people in the US.

It’s also been theorized that Lincoln had Marfan’s Syndrome given the somewhat odd proportions of his limbs and rather gaunt facial features.

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I’m not saying people didn’t used to be shorter, but there’s a difference between saying people are taller now, and saying 6’4” is the new 6’10”. I don’t think people understand how big 6’10” is. Most people have never met someone that tall, even seen someone that tall.

Seeing Shaq in person really is an experience. 7’1” I think. Fucking massive human being. I saw him recently, too, so retired fat Shaq is even more gigantic.

u/Electromotivation avatar

Statistics don’t care about your squishy feelings

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https://ourworldindata.org/human-height

In 1860 the average height in America was 5'6".

Today it's 5'9".

Access to good nutrition these days means people are generally taller now than before. What’s really crazy is that Giannis did not have access to great nutrition growing up and we see how he eventually turned out. Imagine if he had great nutrition as a boy.

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u/solo1181 avatar
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Most of it was top hat though

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This sounds kind of dubious- yes, people in general are getting taller, but the early 19th century isn’t all that long ago.

u/jebedia avatar

It's a nutrition thing. Early childhood malnutrition stunts growth. The average height for a man in Lincoln's time was 4 inches shorter than the average height today.

I just looked it up and it's five centimeters of difference. So two inches. So 6'6" in "today's terms".

u/disc2k avatar

Agrees with my math.

Average height of a man in the US in 1830 was 173cm
Lincoln was 193cm
193/173=1.156
Lincoln was 1.156x taller than the average man in the US at the time.

Average height in the US now is 178cm
178*1.156=198.5cm or 6'6"

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Fair enough- will check it out but it being a nutrition thing moreso than a selection thing sounds reasonable. Thanks.

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u/ThePabstistChurch avatar

But that assumes that every child was equally malnourished. Some children likely were not at all and therefore would have heights very close to ours on average.

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When you look at men's clothing from the 1950s, men were tiny.

Arnold S was considered a giant in the 1970s. The Terminator.

u/95688it avatar

Arnold S was considered a giant in the 1970s. The Terminator.

huh? no.

Andre and Wilt, made Arnie look tiny

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F4g4hb92pad0b1.jpg

Since the 80s, he was cast as an immovable force, but he was never that tall or muscular. Compared to average men, he was a monster.

He couldn't compete in modern bodybuilding since it's now full of guys who overdo it on steroids.

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u/OneBigBug avatar

And this was the mid 19th century, so even less long ago.

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u/ACousinFromRichmond avatar

Well, can't be a short scrub and fight vampires like ol Abe did back in the day

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James Madison gang rise up. 🥹

Nah bruh, Van Buren Boys 4 Lyfe !

They're just as mean as he was!

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And thanks to Rickets Madison left the White House at an impressive 5'2".

u/zomboromcom avatar

"Skinny guys fight till they're burger."

u/chromatictonality avatar

That's where they used to call James Madison by the honorific "lil' Jimmy"

A lesser known fact is that James Madison had a very rapid fire way of speaking and is credited with being very musically gifted. Some historians speculate that, were he alive today, he would likely be recognized internationally for his dank rhymes.

u/Snomkip avatar

Ironic considering that he might be the main character with the least lines in the Hamilton Musical, he got done dirty

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He's also a half decent footballer for Tottenham

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u/traws06 avatar

So if Ron Desantis becomes president he would be the tallest president ever measuring prolly around 7’8” by then

u/Major2Minor avatar

The stilts will probably make it awkward stepping out of Marine One without losing something, but personally I'm fine with that.

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I’m surprised Kennedy isn’t in Madison’s spot, given his back issues. Do we have a list of how many of the presidents suffered from some short of back issues? I know Kennedy was wearing a brace the day of his murder.

From what I can find, JFK was just over six feet tall, so it would have taken something catastrophic for him to get down to Madison's height.

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Trump is 6'5", weighs 240 lbs with 10% body fat, and can slam dunk a basketball.

That was yesterday. Today he's 6'6", weighs 230 with 5% body fat and can not only dunk the rock but he regularly sets records at The Combine. Both the Heat and the Dolphins are interested. Suck on that Biden.

u/ValyrianJedi avatar

Isn't Barron like 6'8" or something now?

Barron is only 6'7", but he and George Santos did just recently win the WWE raw tag team championship.

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Donald Trump

Donald Trump

6 foot 20 made of radiation

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And Obama was the darkest US President

EDIT: “figuratively”. Don’t lose the “” from that either

u/username293739 avatar

And Trump was the orangest

u/taqn22 avatar

God this…I hate Trump, yeah, but this joke feels weirdly dated? Like, he’s still a relevant figure and he was President quite recently, but the joke itself just feels somehow way more aged than it actually is.

Does this make any sense?

u/LiveLearnCoach avatar

No? His fake tan would have been an embarrassment to any person working retail, let alone a president. For all of his achievements, the guy still had inferiority issues: too tight suits, heels so high that they made him tilt forward, the awkward tan, and all of this self-praising comments and tweets.

u/Unajustable_Justice avatar

No. Look at recent pictures. He is still fake tanning and looks orange

It's not a joke if it's true. His tan cream makes him orange.

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Camacho*

u/JeffCarr avatar

President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho, was definitely the largest at 6' 3" and 245 lbs.

u/prezident_camacho avatar

Yes?

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Probably one of the fair Irish presidents like James Buchanan.

His nose was sort of red, probably because he was an alcoholic.

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Hilarious

Uh huh... We know what you meant, buddy.

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u/RunDNA avatar

If Lincoln was 5'4" maybe Booth's bullet would have whizzed over his head.

u/solo1181 avatar

Ok, if JFK was 37'6" the bullets would have hit his ankle.

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u/jodybot9000000000 avatar

Now I'm thinking about the tactical advantage of top hats.

Tactical hats. Tactic-hats?

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u/Whitecamry avatar

It would do in a pinch.

If his bodyguard was outside the door, he would've been okay. He went drinking instead.

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u/srsimpson avatar

What are you talking about? Washington was 6 foot 7 and weighed a fucking ton!

u/occasionalpirate avatar

Not to mention fucking killing for fun!

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Today I learned that James Madison is short enough that I could kiss him on the forehead.

u/SelloutFrank avatar

he also killed vampires

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My magic eight ball says Trump will claim to be 6'5 by Wednesday.

You’re probably right. IIRC he grew 2 “ since his last weigh in.

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u/pibbsworth avatar

The Tottenham player?

Donald Trump is the tallest.

If he lays on his back.

I am sure Trump thinks he is at least the same height as Lincoln.

6’3 remember

Yeah, Trump is about Lincoln's height. That's just a fact.

Eisenhower was our last shorty.

It's absolutely not a fact.

Trump claims he's 6'3". He's almost certainly 6' or shorter.

Eisenhower and Carter were 5-10.

It's weird that liberals are trying to claim he's lying about his height. Cops took his numbers earlier in the year. Trump's teenage son is like 6-4. Trump towered over Hillary in 2016.

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Sidebar: let James Madison play a bowl game NCAA!

So could James you know... standing up?

And Donald Trump was the ONLY POTUS:

  1. To be impeached twice

  2. On trial in multiple jurisdiction for fraud, corruption

  3. incited a potential over throw of the US Govt after losing a election

  4. openly panders to dictators and praises them

  5. openly declare his racism/bigotry for minorities and immigrants

  6. openly talked about fondling women against their will

  7. has a small dick. proven in court

  8. talks sexually about his daughter.. like wtf

  9. took NATIONAL and MILITARY secrets with him after leaving office and shared it with enemies resulting in many HUMAN ASSETS dying across the world.

  10. hires his own family members into WH staff positions - Jared Kusher, Ivanka etc

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He needed that height to help carry his massive balls

The inch has changed over the years. Washington was probably 6' 4" too.

6’3”. The UK/US inch hasn’t changed in those time ranges. France had a different one, which is what started the “Little Emperor” talk for Napoleon. He was 5’6”. The soldiers in his imperial guard were specifically chosen for their height, which made him look as short as the shit talk. He was around average for the time, only one or two inches under the norm, if I remember correctly. His dick is still in a jar, though, so I’d rather by super short than having that happen.

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u/Tonythecritic avatar

Private Bonespurs just read that and is frantically shouting at Eric to go buy him higher shoe lifts!

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Was Trump the fattest?

Laffy Tafty was the fatty.

u/ModsPPsRMicroSized avatar

I wont tolorate Taft hate here sir😤 Teddy Roosevelt wished he busted as much trusts as William Taft did

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u/BuffaloSoldier11 avatar

No, that would be Howard Taft. He once got stuck in a tub.

William H. Taft, otherwise known as Big Bill and Uncle Jumbo. Or was the latter nickname Grover Cleveland?

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Not even close, Taft was an actual whale

Howard Taft is by far the fattest president we've had. 5'11" and 350lb at the end of his Presidency.

I feel like being that fat without the benefit of shitty processed food would almost be difficult. Was he a big drinker?

u/TheBalrogofMelkor avatar

He almost certainly had a thyroid problem. He walked 5 miles a day.

Or so he said.

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He lost a lot of weight while Chief Justice, a job he loved. He really disliked being President. So maybe he drowned his sorrows in food in the White House, then didn't need to while leading the Supreme Court.

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6’3 215

When he was arrested there was an outside chance they'd have weighed him (instead of letting him self-report like they did). But the betting markets put the over/under at 278.5 which seems about right. There's no chance that dude is less than 260.

Still less than Taft, but they're the only two even in that ballpark as far as I'm aware.

Is a joke. He’s neither 6’3 or 215.

He's fat, not heavy. Lean muscle adds weight but doesn't alter your appearance. Trump hasn't done weight training since Johnson was president.

Liberals use photos of him that make him look as fat as possible.

We call them regular photos

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And the dumbest

u/Touchit88 avatar

Probably not. He was only 239.

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And the president with the smallest hands goes to…….

Martin Van Burin.

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Not uh. I heard Trump is 6'5! He's very tall, hugely tall. The tallest president ever. In fact Joe Biden is actually the shortest president, so short, embarrassingly short.

u/PM_ME_TRICEPS avatar
Edited

And of course Biden is the oldest. He looks like one of the vampires Abraham Lincoln hunted in the movie.

u/Derric_the_Derp avatar

Trump is only 3 years less old. If Trump wins in 2024, for every day in office he'll be older than Biden was at the same time in the term. Trump will be older on day 1 than Biden was on his day 1.

God, please let neither one win.

Lot of math here. But Biden is the one guy who makes Trump young.

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u/Weekly_Direction1965 avatar

I bet if we told Trump Lincoln was 6"4 that Trump would start telling people he's 6"4 in the next few weeks.

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I’m pretty sure Trump is like 6’7”. Just ask his followers.

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u/dandroid126 avatar

Why does reddit think it's okay to body shame about penis size? It's so insulting. People can't control their size.

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u/dandroid126 avatar

Making fun of him at the expense of people who have 2" penises and have absolutely no control of that. But they are constantly being made fun of when they did nothing wrong.

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We should start electing presidents by height, from now on, the tallest person in the country should be president.

Who knows, we might get a better lineup than we have right now.

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I’d rather go with the shortest.

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Actually yes, that's a better idea. Let's go with the shortest.

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u/UFO-Cow-Victim avatar

Invader Zim logic

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This was so fucking clearly satire.

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u/Lucky-NiP avatar

Please join me in welcoming the new president:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bell_(basketball)

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u/ooaegisoo avatar

Isn't Trump 6.5?

u/jiggeroni avatar

Trump was fattest at 435lbs

Not that height has any indication of mental ability.

Abraham Lincoln was also known for his large penis. People around Springfield Illinois said it was known that he often would either wrestle people, or just pull his penis out to establish dominance. Some say it was 11inches and soda can thicc

Little known fact: that’s actually why he’s called the “rail splitter”

Another fun fact, when I was a teenager we went to New Salem outside of Springfield and I made a comment to the guide about how Abraham Lincoln was a racist and probably didn't want to free the slaves. I was just joking and being a dumb teenager. Well, the guide heard me and actually commented "You actually aren't far off." Then essentially implying he had no intentions of actually freeing them

That was (somewhat) true earlier in his career. (The qualification is because he was tailoring his speeches to get elected; and once elected, his main aim was to save the Union.)

Lincoln's views on slavery and race evolved while he was President. The Emancipation Proclamation was partly a political move, but he knew it would lose him perhaps as much support at home as he would gain abroad. Everything he did after that gives me, as a lifelong student of history, the sense that he knew it was the right thing to do.

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u/Derric_the_Derp avatar

Don't get me started on George Washington.

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u/thefledexguy avatar

And tRump was the fittest at 215 pounds.

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Howard taft was 350

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We’re on the same YouTube algo because I just saw that video tonight too

https://youtu.be/xStXvbKvSb0?si=ko_8E_XytIlXNz66

u/ProfessionalCow9265 avatar

Lincoln log checks out..

u/5050Clown avatar

How long were Lincoln's legs?

u/SalSevenSix avatar

The baldies never win at all.

u/halfwayhipster2 avatar

Little Jimmy Madison

u/TnT54321 avatar

But how was his playmaking abilities on the court? Gotta give us the full scouting report

Lincoln was also the toughest US president and is in the wrestling HOF

u/loolem avatar

yeah but Lincoln couldn't read a midfield like James Madison

u/MakesShitUp4Fun avatar

Damn, reddit is obsessed with Trump.

u/SequiturNon avatar

While I am not either height and also not president

u/JoeyTKIA avatar

I’ve always thought of all the presidents to be in a fistfight with, James Madison would be the worst because you can only embarrass yourself

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